Justice Thurgood Marshall to be spotlighted 

By AFRO Staff

NAACP lawyer Thurgood Marshall pictured on Sept. 17, 1957. The civil rights attorney argued the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case before the U.S. Supreme Court, which in May 1954 struck down the “separate but equal” philosophy in public schools, essentially declaring segregation unconstitutional. Marshall later became an associate justice of the Supreme Court. (Source: Library of Congress/ Flickr Commons project, 2021)

It has been almost 70 years since the seminal Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision crumbled the legal wall of separation between Black and White students in public schools, and served as a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement and the striking down of other bulwarks of segregation and discrimination in American society.

On April 24, just under a month before the official anniversary on May 17, the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust and the Reginald  F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture will host a commemorative event that will spotlight the legacy of Thurgood Marshall, the attorney who argued the landmark case before the high court on behalf of the NAACP and, later, became the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court (1967–’91).

The free event, comprising a reception and panel discussion, will take place at the Museum’s facility in downtown Baltimore, beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The panel discussion will feature several renowned  civil rights leaders, including U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., former head of the NAACP. Also appearing will be Larry Gibson, longtime professor at the Frances Carey School of Law, University of Maryland and  author of “Young Thurgood – The Making of a Supreme Court Justice.” And last, Benjamin Chavis, president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) and chair of the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust’s Board of Directors, will round off the list of featured speakers.

The memorial event will engage the panelists in sharing their experiences, expertise and knowledge of Justice Marshall’s life, career and legacy. The discussion will be moderated by Terri Lee  Freeman, president of the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, and will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience. 

To register for this free event, go to:  

https://lewismuseum.ticketing.veevartapp.com/tickets/view/list/70th-anniversary-of-brown-v-board

 

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